Removing heatspreader

[M.Beier]

Hey - Why do some people remove the heatspreader???

Is there anything gained as for cooling by doing it???

- 12k

BTW: Use watercooling so far - gonna get it chilled s00n

[perry_78]

Yes, there are gains of a few degrees (at most), but most of the time it is not worth it I gather. Unless you know what you are doing, there is a good chance you might :banana::banana::banana::banana: up bigtime :(

[M.Beier]

I know how to do it... But... It has the cons that one looses the warranty...?? - And I wondered if it gives any gain?? - When I viewed the ATI-event video... Macci didnt remove it... And he's quite extreme usually :\

- 12k

[mag|c]

just did it to my venice witch did 66c with only 1,48v, now it "only" 55c with 1,6v don't know why this venice is getting so hot compared to my old winchester.

[perry_78]

I'm probably not the right one to answer this as I have never removed a heatspreader, but I would say keep it on, not really worth the risk IMO.

I believe some of the newer Winchesters have a VERY f'upped IHS.

[SoF]

well mine is off but i think it makes all the compressor cooling stuff much harder.
i allready scratched one edge with the evap :(
guess i will sell it before crashing it completely (when it's still working after my first compressor cooled run) and buy a new proc with hs.
i wouldn'r recommend - on air i had a difference of 3-4°C...not worth it...
Greetz SoF

[ozzimark]

you might wanna read this:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59068

imo, the heatspreader is worthless unless you see moving your rig around a lot, then the added protection is probably nice.

[Eversor]

just did it to my venice witch did 66c with only 1,48v, now it "only" 55c with 1,6v don't know why this venice is getting so hot compared to my old winchester.

+11ºC that's good!
Any increase in ocbility?

[mag|c]

+11ºC that's good!
Any increase in ocbility?

yea, i believe i can get it to run 2800 air cooled 24/7 when i hit the right setup.

topped a 2600 with insane temps before.

[SoF]

you might wanna read this:
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=59068


good topic but the questions of prommi user are not answered there (i'm on page 3)
but i don't feel better while/after reading - the risk of what i'm doing atm seems rather high. some prommi users concerning about procs without hs.
see if it's still living tomorrow ;)

[Jrocket]

My temps dropped more than 5 degrees c when i took the heatspreader off. FYI I am using phase change.

[Disposibleteen]

it wasnt an AMD but i killed a northwood trying to pop off the IHS, i wont try that again soon :rolleyes:

[M.Beier]

Im gonna go for sub25 degrees load on my winny (might switch to 3700+ SD) and thereby about 18-20 degrees idle, is that possible without removing HS?? - Gonna use chilled water at 13-14 degree - but its in a 21 degree room, would that give me some condens issues?? - Im tryin' to get water chilled without having to use isolation'n'stuff... Would it be to cold??

- 12k

[M.Beier]

Hehe... Doing it should'nt be so hard... Just a razorblade and go' for it ;) - But, damn I think Im gonna slith my fingers 2 times at least while doing the procedure ;)

- 12k

[Jessfm]

Its fairly worthwhile doing, if you run watercooling.
Since its hard to get enough pressure on the IHS with the hold down designs of waterblocks, it can yield good results 'popping' it.

Start in the corners with a razor blade, but don't go in too far as there are SMC cap's around the core (see picture).
The bonding agent seems to be of rubber compound so its fairly easy to slice.
http://www.ricco.karoo.net/images/cpu/3700sandy.jpg

[Jasonxxx]

I have seen some benefits from removing the IHS... It yields on average from ~50-200mhz and have seen up to 15C load temp drop..

I have removed two A64's and both cpu's gained ~100mhz stability and load temp dropped ~6C.....

It does void your warranty, but that is the chance you will take if you are confient that you have the skill to do it, and it is worth it to you..... :toast:

[THunDA]

I removed the spreader on my FX55.. It gave me about 6-8 degrees lower temps and also made me 10hrs prime stable at 280x10 where before it failed in a 1 to 2 hours..

Right now im battling warmer ambient temps so its clocked back some untill I put my AC in my room..hehe..

All in all im happy with the improvement.. warranty wasnt an issue with me cuz the person I bought the chip from already lapped the IHS anyways.. I am also pretty confident in mounting the cooling to it since I have a mobile 3400 in my 250gb rig and Ive never had a problem with that..

[Jessfm]

I removed the spreader on my FX55.. It gave me about 6-8 degrees lower temps and also made me 10hrs prime stable at 280x10 where before it failed in a 1 to 2 hours..

Right now im battling warmer ambient temps so its clocked back some untill I put my AC in my room..hehe..

All in all im happy with the improvement.. warranty wasnt an issue with me cuz the person I bought the chip from already lapped the IHS anyways.. I am also pretty confident in mounting the cooling to it since I have a mobile 3400 in my 250gb rig and Ive never had a problem with that..

Got a pic of that ? :)

[THunDA]

Got a pic of that ? :)


Pic of what ?... my cpu ?

[Jessfm]

Pic of what ?... my cpu ?


Yeah - im interested in what a nacked FX looks like.

[ozzimark]

probably a lot like this, but without the evil cracking due to my abuse:

[Jessfm]

probably a lot like this, but without the evil cracking due to my abuse:

WOW thats is some major abuse !

[i found nemo]

it still works????

[THunDA]

Yeah - im interested in what a nacked FX looks like.


Not as abused as ozzimark's ..hehe.. but here it is..

[Jessfm]

Not as abused as ozzimark's ..hehe.. but here it is..

Thanks for that - huge slug !

[cu2day]

First time I took my heat sync off my cpu, my cpu came out of the socket with my heat sync. Of course I put my cpu back in and put the heat sync back on to find my cpu is stuck in the darn socket... this is a new 939 motherboard, if I can't get my current working CPU out in the future I guess I'll need a new motherboard to ever run a dual core cpu. Also I've been trying to get my IHS off but it's pretty hard to do when my cpu is stuck to the board and there's not enough room around the socket to work a razor blade around the edges of the IHS to get it off.

[tennvols_69]

what about lapping the IHS vs removing it? this may prove easier with close to same benifit as removing it with less of a chance to mess it up. my 2500 is running hot like 55C under load @ stock with stock sink to me this seems a lil high for the caa2c chips.

[saaya]

i dont think lapping will get you the same benefits, but close to...
and its def the best solution if your unexpirienced with this and are scared of killing your chip :)

check the ihs remoal guide in the best of amd section, please check the stickies and use the forums search function before posting a thread next time :D

[totensiebush]

Although it does void your warranty, I can say (from personal experience) that AMD does not check to see if the IHS has been removed as long as it has been put back on well.

[Hans.Gruber]

How about drilling 2 holes to a heatpreader and using non conductive liquid to cool it. ;)

[uwackme]

How about pulling the IHS, cleaning and using AS5, then reinstalling with less glue to make sure you have good inside contact, also LAP/FLAT the IHS surface so you keep the benefit of safety while improving the heat transfer over assemblyline stock. Phasechanger's can add in goop under the IHS.

[ADM]

My mate removed the IHS and gained 250Mhz on his Venice so it might be worth it. Then again it could toruble long term if you have to RMA it.